The invention relates to a door lock for a motor vehicle provided with a body having one or more doors.
Door locks of this type are generally provided with a cylinder and a matching key whereby the vehicle can be locked and unlocked. The lock cylinder is generally mounted either in the immediate vicinity of or integral with the handle whereby the door is opened.
These locations of the cylinder have several disadvantages. Thus, the fairly low positioning implies that one must generally stoop in order to insert the key into the lock and, in addition, the door has as a rule to be reinforced at the location of the handle by means of special bracings. Also, the paintwork on the outer panel of the door is liable to local damage.
According to the invention the lock cylinder is mounted in or near a pillar of the door in a sheet metal part present there, which cylinder co-operates with a locking lever with which the lock can be opened and closed. This location ensures that the cylinder is accommodated in a pillar which is per se non-deformable and moreover, located at a short distance from that part of the lock which links up anyway with the pillar, so that an effective separation is achieved between the actual locking function and the opening and shutting of the door.